Rosetta: 'sexiest, most fantastic' space mission enters final phase

Spacecraft has caught up with comet in a decade long chase in search for answers about life on earth

An artist's impression of the Rosetta spacecraft with Mars in the background
(Image credit: C.CARREAU/AFP/Getty Images)

The Rosetta spacecraft has now approached a speeding comet in deep space as a decade-long mission, which scientists hope will reveal more about how life on earth began, reached a climax.

Dr Matt Taylor, one of the lead scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) watching Rosetta as it closes in on its target, calls it the "sexiest, most fantastic mission there's ever been". It ticks all the boxes in terms of "fascination, exploration, technology, and science", he tells the BBC.

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